The tale of 'an Oriental martyr'
Fence-building is what Shamsad Mortuza finds in a biography
The nineteenth century begins again: nationalism, colonialism and imperialism, ethnic and religious violence, growing extremes of wealth and poverty, all reemerge today and with a virulence that calls up their earlier nineteenth-century versions and all the physical and mental struggles against them. Jerome Rothenberg, Poems for the Millennium, Vol. 3. (I am grateful to Rothenberg for allowing me to use the introduction to his forthcoming anthology.) In a postcolonial milieu, the construction of the Orient from the vantage Eurocentric position is critiqued without any mercy. The Orientalist scholars are criticised for the supposed superiority of knowledge through which they 'invent' the Other. However, such a view often leads to an under-representation of the humanist values that appealed to the early Orientalists. Hence, it is sometimes essential to take off the theoretical lens to view the purpose of Orientalists like Sir William Jones and his contribution to the meeting of the East and the West. The scholarly engagement with contextuality of New Historicism and the New Formalist search for deficiencies in new historical reading often problematise our appreciation of the Orientalists. There are times in life when we need to keep things simple. Abu Taher Majumder's book takes a simple stance in declaring the contribution of Jones in the shared growth of literature. Majumder is not totally out of fashion, though. With the reappraisal of Romanticism, as has been done by Rothenberg, quoted above, the connection between Orientalism and Romanticism is being revised. Instead of taking a theoretical position of an 'ideology critic,' it is once again becoming important to trace the fissures, the moments of ruptures through which the past erupts into the present. Majumder identifies different areas in which the signature of Sir William Jones is to be found. As is known, Jones died while working in India, which makes him an 'Oriental Martyr.' While it is easy to brand him as a gone-native scholar, Majumder's collection of essays on Sir William Jones, published from the Bangla Academy, casts an uncritical, albeit sympathetic, look at the Orientalist scholar of the eighteenth century. Majumder has no inhibition in highlighting the sincere effort of Jones in showcasing the great literary work from Asia that can rival the canonical work of the West. The supposed inferiority of the Orient is subverted by Jones's translation and allusion to writers like Kalidasa and Ferdous. There is no doubt that Jones had a lasting impact on the following generation of writers. Majumder maintains that many creative writers of the Romantic and Victorian periods used the raw materials gained by Jones from the literary minefield of Asia. While the Orientalist influence on these creative writers was discussed, the actual contribution of Jones to the building of the bridge between the East and the West was somewhat relegated. Indeed, Majumder deserves credit for his lifelong passion for this scholar, who happens to be the founder of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Majumder's interest in this Welsh-born Orientalist grew while he was working for his Master's degree at the University of Wales in the early 1970s. He has written a number of essays and monographs on Sir William Jones. The present volume brings together his ideas on Jones' aesthetics, poetics, Persian grammar as well as his influence on American, Romantic and Victorian literature. Jones was a poet, critic and linguist all rolled into one. But his professional identity was that of a judge, who held a post at the Calcutta Supreme Court. The book begins with a brisk survey of the life and work of the scholar. Majumder's language is lucid. And the book, by design, avoids over-interpretation. Instead, the writer has opted to mention the comments of others on Jones. This at times may seem patchy and pedantic. Nonetheless, it becomes a great sourcebook for anyone who is interested in understanding a man committed to mending fences across the East and West divide. This work is equally important for those who think that the colonial aspects of the early Orientalists should be reviewed and re-written. In either case, this reviewer is convinced that to go back to history is to reactivate it. To repeat Rothenberg: History begins again. Thanks to Majumder for telling his story! Professor Shamsad Mortuza is Chairperson, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University.
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